Ethical dilemma - question for LEOs here

PhotonWrangler · Jun 12, 2008

This evening I was walking out of a grocery store when I passed an unattended car in the parking lot that absolutely reeked of beer. Whomever was the driver of this car was still inside, shopping for groceries. Bonus: there was a child seat in the back.

My dilemma is this: should I have done anything? It's not ollegal for a car to smell of beer (but again this one really reeked) but on the other hand, there was at least a fair chance that there was an open container in there and the driver was possibly imbibing while driving.

I stood there for a moment, torn as to whether to wait for the driver to come out and assess his/her state of mind or just to move on. I finally decided, reluctantly, to move on and get my groceries home.

Did I do the right thing? I have a bug up my butt about drunk driving, particularly since a drunk totaled my car many years ago, killing his passenger in the process. He walked away with a broken leg and an attitude.

bitslammer · Jun 12, 2008

PhotonWrangler said:
This evening I was walking out of a grocery store when I passed an unattended car in the parking lot that absolutely reeked of beer. Whomever was the driver of this car was still inside, shopping for groceries. Bonus: there was a child seat in the back.

My dilemma is this: should I have done anything? It's not ollegal for a car to smell of beer (but again this one really reeked) but on the other hand, there was at least a fair chance that there was an open container in there and the driver was possibly imbibing while driving.

I stood there for a moment, torn as to whether to wait for the driver to come out and assess his/her state of mind or just to move on. I finally decided, reluctantly, to move on and get my groceries home.

Did I do the right thing? I have a bug up my butt about drunk driving, particularly since a drunk totaled my car many years ago, killing his passenger in the process. He walked away with a broken leg and an attitude.

For what it's worth I bought a selection of assorted beers for a tasting party a few weeks ago. One escaped the bag and rolled under the passenger seat without my noticing.

After one scorcher of a day it blew its top (literally) and my car is just now starting to NOT smell like beer. I gave it a thorough cleaning and used a paper bag filled with fresh ground coffee to neutralize the odor.

It possible this poor person suffered a similar fate. My take is that I mind my own business unless I'm certain of the situation. If owner came out stumbling around drunk I'd have definitely called the cops. If they had the child with them I might have even tried to do more, but unless I was sure I'd have moved on like you.

PhotonWrangler · Jun 12, 2008

bitslammer said:
For what it's worth I bought a selection of assorted beers for a tasting party a few weeks ago. One escaped the bag and rolled under the passenger seat without my noticing.

After one scorcher of a day it blew its top (literally) and my car is just now starting to NOT smell like beer. I gave it a thorough cleaning and used a paper bag filled with fresh ground coffee to neutralize the odor.

It possible this poor person suffered a similar fate. My take is that I mind my own business unless I'm certain of the situation. If owner came out stumbling around drunk I'd have definitely called the cops. If they had the child with them I might have even tried to do more, but unless I was sure I'd have moved on like you.

That thought had crossed my mind, Bitslammer. It has been hot lately and it's possible that a bottle or can of beer had exploded inside, soaking the carpeting.

Retinator · Jun 12, 2008

You said there was a child seat in the back, was there a child there alone?

If there was a child alone in the back, that should have gone reported.

As for the beer, maybe you could have called the cops to check into it.
Was anyone acting odd in the store? (ie staggering, throwing up on produce etc..)

PhotonWrangler · Jun 12, 2008

Retinator said:
You said there was a child seat in the back, was there a child there alone?

If there was a child alone in the back, that should have gone reported.

As for the beer, maybe you could have called the cops to check into it.
Was anyone acting odd in the store? (ie staggering, throwing up on produce etc..)

The child seat was empty. You bet I would've taken action if there was a child left alone inside. I didn't notice anyone acting strangely in the store, but I tend to zip through the grocery store at a brisk pace. Actually when I think about it, if there had been a customer in the store that smelled even half as bad as the car did, I would've noticed it.

Lightmeup · Jun 13, 2008

There's no law against a car smelling bad. You could have hung around to observe the condition of the driver when he returned. If he was drunk and tried to drive, then you could have intervened. I don't think you did anything wrong.

Monocrom · Jun 13, 2008

Lightmeup said:
There's no law against a car smelling bad. You could have hung around to observe the condition of the driver when he returned. If he was drunk and tried to drive, then you could have intervened. I don't think you did anything wrong.

Have to agree.

It's possible but unlikely that the stench of beer was from a renegade can that rolled underneath a seat. The driver may have been drunk off his @$$, or might have dropped off a drunken friend before going to buy some groceries. The childseat is not a good sign. But perhaps drunken dad left the baby at home with mom before going out boozing.

Still, it would have been best to memorize the plate #, and wait for the driver to come out. If the driver looked sober, leaving would be fine. If he appeared drunk, a quick 911 call on a cellphone would help in preventing a possible car crash.

A drunk with a loaded gun is dangerous. But a two ton bullet travelling over 60 miles per hour is far more dangerous than a 230 grain .45 auto traveling at 950 feet per second.

KC2IXE · Jun 13, 2008

Monocrom said:
...snip....
But perhaps drunken dad left the baby at home with mom before going out boozing.

snip...

Or drunken Mom left the kid with Dad - totally sexist to assume it's "drunken Dad"

LED-holic · Jun 13, 2008

I think drunk driving is a horrible horrible thing. I've never done it and never will.

That said, I don't think that just because a car smells like beer and there's a child seat there is enough justification to call the police.

Monocrom · Jun 13, 2008

KC2IXE said:
Or drunken Mom left the kid with Dad - totally sexist to assume it's "drunken Dad"

Yup! Totally sexist.... and realistic as well.

Mike Painter · Jun 13, 2008

I would have called. Best case is you were wrong and the officer either wastes a bit of time or has something to do.

I didn't stop a little old lady one afternoon in 1971 or 72, deputy sheriffs didn't do a lot of traffic back then. She stopped at the sign as she was supposed to, then pulled out without looking.
She went eight blocks up, probably doing that at all the stop signs, turned right and went five blocks over. I went five blocks right and eight blocks up. There was already a PD unit on the scene. She had stopped, just like she was supposed to, then proceeded and was dead when I got there. No harm done to anyone else but it has always been with me.

Diesel_Bomber · Jun 13, 2008

I'd have called the police. Let them determine whether there's a problem or not, they have access to much better information. Far better to waste a bit of time and hassle someone a bit than let some drunken retard kill a minivan full of kids instead of just themselves.

An interesting thought occurs to me(I'm ***uming the car windows were down?): Wouldn't a sober person realize that their car smelled like a blitzed brewery, and roll up the windows precisely to prevent well meaning people from calling the police on them?

:buddies:

PhotonWrangler · Jun 14, 2008

DieselBomber, that is an interesting thought. It was a convertible and the top was down with nobody in the car.

Thanks for the input, guys. If this ever happens again, I'm going to hang around and wait for the driver to return and observe. I don't want to be a busybody but when it comes to drunk driving, the potential consequences are so bad that it probably justifies a bit more nosiness.

climberkid · Jun 14, 2008

that sounds like a very good solution.

Lightmeup · Jun 15, 2008

Diesel_Bomber said:
An interesting thought occurs to me(I'm ***uming the car windows were down?): Wouldn't a sober person realize that their car smelled like a blitzed brewery, and roll up the windows precisely to prevent well meaning people from calling the police on them?

If it were my car, I'd leave the windows down so that the smell would evaporate. I could care less what "well meaning people" decide to do. No laws being broken that I can see?

PhotonWrangler · Jun 15, 2008

Correct Lightmeup, there's no law against having a stinky car. If there was, everybody who ever hit a skunk would go to jail.

lctorana · Jun 15, 2008

Since we're in a cafe, kicking back, I feel I can ask now:

"why is the euphemism "LEO" used instead of the simple word "Police"?

Is it:

you are ashamed of the word "police"?
we are scared of offending some minority group who object to the word
we just need a euphemism for every noun, no matter what it is
gender-inclusive terminology
willful obfustication
because "Police" is now just a Chinese flashlight brandname

?????

Monocrom · Jun 15, 2008

lctorana said:
?????

LEO stands for Law Enforcement Officer. If you want to be technical about it, there are those out there who are not strictly the police; but still fall under the LEO banner.

It's not a Politically Correct term, it's one that has been in use since before political correctness infested America.

greenLED · Jun 15, 2008

Not a euphimism; it's an acronym for "law enforcement officer" - all inclusive for a variety of agencies.

lctorana · Jun 15, 2008

Erm, all of which are Police by definition, surely?

Ethical dilemma - question for LEOs here

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